Willis h



(ModeL) W. H. HOWES.

Lever Button..

No. 242325 Patented May 31,1881.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

Y/UMW a i ww PETERS, Fhola-Lflhugnphui', Wbhingtun. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS H. HOWES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HALE & MULFORD, OF SAME PLACE.

LEVER-BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,325, dated May 31, 1881.

Application filed April 20, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIS H. Homes, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lever-Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement, the shoe being shown in section. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same turned one-quar- IO ter around and part being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the hinge or coupling enlarged. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the part of the hinge or coupling showing the teeth.

I 5 Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

The object of this invention is to facilitate and cheapen the construction of lever-buttons.

The invention consists in the combination, with the hinge or joint connecting the elastic posts of the head and the shank of the shoe, of interlocking teeth, whereby the shoe will be held securely when parallel and when at 2 5 right angles with the head without a separate spring, as will be hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the head of the button, which may be made open or solid and of any desired size or style.

To the opposite ends of the under side of the head A are attached the ends of two posts, B, which are curved inward and outward and have heads with flattened inner sides formed 5 upon or attached to their ends, or have the inner sides of their ends flattened. G is the shoe, which may be made of any desirable shape. The shank D of the shoe 0, or a head formed upon the said shank, fits in between the ends or heads of the posts B, and has teeth E formed upon its end to fit into corresponding teeth, F, formed upon the inner sides of the heads or ends of the posts B.

The teeth E F must be of such a number,

4 5 preferably four, and must be so arranged, that the shoe (3 can be placed parallel with the head A, as shown in Fig. 1, to keep the button in place when in use, or can be placed at right angles with the head A, as shown in Fig. 2,

(ModeL) to allow the button to be readily passed through and withdrawn from the button-holes in the garment.

The toothed sides of the posts B and shank D are held against each other by the elasticity of the posts B with sufficient force to prevent the shoe Gfrom changing its position accidentally.

For greater security the hinge or joint of the posts B and shank D can have a pivot or pintle, G, passed through them, which pivot may be fast to one of the posts B and pass loosely through the shank D and the other post B; or it can be made in two parts fast at their outer ends to the posts B, and having their inner ends inserted loosely in the head of the shank 1).

The posts B can be made of double wire, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or of a single wire, or of a narrow plate, as may be best adapted to the style of the button.

The posts B at or near the head A can be connected and strengthened by a cross-bar, H, attached to them. When the head A is made solid or strong the brace-bar H is not needed. 7 5

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a button provided with head and shoe portions, as described, the combination of the elastic posts B and shoe-shank D, the two parts connected by a hinge or joint and provided with teeth, whereby the shoe will be held securely when parallel and when at right angles with the head withouta separate spring, as set forth.

2. In a button, the combination, with the shoe-shank D,'provided with teeth E, of the elastic posts B, provided with the toothed heads F, and the pintle G, secured to one of go the said post heads and adapted to pass through the shoe-shank and the other posthead, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIS El. HOWES.

WVitnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, (l. SEDGWICK. 

